Maranatha! NIV Worship Bible, The

Rating:
Summary: Falls just short of perfection
Review: I doubt if there is a better Bible out there for purely devotional reading than this one. I originally purchased it thinking I would use it as a resource in my worship leading at church, but I found that it is even better used for my own personal quiet times. My tendency is often to read the Bible in a theological frame of mind. This edition of the Bible is invaluable for bringing me closer to the Author of all scripture, the Creator of the universe. The prayers in the margins can be used in personal devotional times, but are also appropriate for public worship as well. There are also quotes from great Christian writers throughout the ages, and excerpts from hymns and praise songs to complete the worship experience. This Bible is almost perfect.

Almost. I had to dock it one star because I believe the editors dropped the ball when it came to the book of Psalms. Psalms has no quotations or accompanying prayers, just some lined margins for the reader to jot down his or her own prayers. The editors had a perfectly logical rationale for this, after all, the Psalms are basically prayers and hymns anyway, so how could anyone add to them? I still think some accompanying quotes or some other input would have been helpful here. After all, some of the Psalms (the "imprecatory" Psalms) may be problematic for some Christians today, because of the vengeance and even hatred toward enemies interspersed among the high praises and hallelujahs. The honest wrestling with God expressed in many of the Psalms could be helped by some illumination, but maybe I'm getting back to my "theological" frame of mind here when I offer these criticisms. These minor reservations do not prevent me from giving this Bible my highest recommendation for anyone wanting a great devotional tool.

Rating:
Summary: Inspirational
Review: I try to read through the Bible once each year, using a different Bible each time. Last year I wanted a Bible that would inspire me to praise God, instead of a heavy-duty study Bible. This Bible fit the bill perfectly. My favorite things about this Bible are the quotes from classic and contemporary Christian authors and the lyrics to hymns and praise songs. It helped me understand more how every book of the Bible, even difficult ones like Leviticus, should inspire us to praise our awesome God. I highly recommend this Bible to anyone who longs to know God better or who wants to learn new ways to praise Him.

Rating:
Summary: The Book for Worship & Praise
Review: The Maranatha Worship Bible is certainly a great bible for any Christian. It is a Praise & Worship Bible to assist Christians to praise & worship God while reading through the scriptures. Hence, it helps to link people to God by allowing individuals to develop their own styles in responding to the scripture. The bible feature the useful thick margin along the side which has a prayer, a famouse quote about worship and the lyrics of hymns/ songs that are inspired by the scripture. The empty spaces along the magins are great for dropping down your own notes/ prayers! Be creative, innovative & personal!

One of its new innovation is the "MY Beloved" sections in the Bible. The are selected passages from the Bible which are being put into a letter format; a real letter from God for you. Putting the scripture into another perspective does help the understanding of the scripture.

If I am allowed to, I can keep talking about it. It is just a very good Bible. And of course, if you are a worship leader, it is almost a must. The prayers & quotations are great help to inspire you when planning your next worship serivce! Got dry on the songs.. flip through the Bible and start to get inspired by the songs, too.

Overall, this is a wonderful Bible, a gift of God for mankind!